Entertainment

Sony BMG Finally Offering DRM-Free MP3s?

What is Sony up to now? The company is reportedly selling album cards through a handful of five large retailers, offering a select mix of popular and catalog titles from various artists like Bob Dylan, Pink, and Bruce Springsteen. A few compilation albums will be offered as well. Similar to the iTunes digital download album cards, Sony's cards will be priced at $12.99 and come with a code for redeeming the mp3 songs at a Sony BMG download store, reportedly called musicpass.com. There is not yet such a website, but perhaps this will be available very shortly?

Typically when promos like this roll out so late in the holiday season, it's in hopes of getting people to purchase music for a gift they've received, such as an iPod. That doesn't seem to be the case with Sony. In fact, very few details have been released in regards to the Sony-branded music destination site. Could this be a program that will take over Sony Connect, which is the company's previous attempt at an online music hub, that's actually scheduled to be shut down in March, 2008? Or is this merely part of Sony's overarching attempt to compete with Apple and the rest of the media industry, along with its video and television offerings.

Perhaps the thing to pay attention to in regards to Sony's new efforts is the possibility of these albums being in a DRM-free format, according to a report on Alley Insider. Should this be the case, then this would be a significant step for Sony. But why the focus on its own branded site for distribution? For testing purposes, perhaps? Even Universal Music, in leaving iTunes, has found other distribution partners for its DRM-free content.

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